


Pick me up

by sundaeflower



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Banter, Billy Hargrove Being Less of an Asshole, Billy Hargrove Redemption, Billy is a menace, Enemies to Friends, Epic Bromance, Gen, Good Babysitter Steve Harrington, Male Bonding, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Season/Series 02, Protective Billy Hargrove, Scoops Ahoy, Season/Series 03, Steve likes to mess with him
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-09-01 17:44:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20262025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sundaeflower/pseuds/sundaeflower
Summary: Maybe it wasn‘t such a good idea after all to de-alienate Billy only to have some excuse for not hanging out 24/7 with a bunch of kids in an attempt to make him look like he has a life.(Or the Steve & Billy friendship we never got to see.)





	Pick me up

It all began after the Snow Ball.

One night Billy knocked at his front door and things went complicated. They talked a little over the next few days, but mostly they'd disagreed. Steve doesn‘t quite know what Billy wants and Billy doesn‘t know what he wants either.

Great.

The perfect duo.

Until Max dragged Billy along to one of the babysitting sessions at his pool, introducing him to the party like nothing ever happened. He didn‘t punch Steves face in and knocked him unconcsious in the process. He didn‘t threaten Max. And he certainly never assaulted Lucas.

These are the rules. Forgiven, but not forgotten.

Everbody seemed content with that except Max herself who ordered him around like the sassy little bitch she is.

Steve gave up losing any sleep over them at one point.

„Seriously, Hargrove, how do you manage to keep the kids in check with nothing but a single word while I‘m left standing here like a completely useless idiot?“

That was the first question he asked Billy Hargrove face to face after he‘d called him to sub with babysitting the bunch of thirteen year olds on the cusp of adolescence. And it did feel like it‘d be the last with the look Billy was gracing him with right now.

_Goddamn, Steve. Get a grip._

He‘s Max awful ex-bully stepbrother who she put in his place just a few month ago with a freakin‘ baseball bat full of nails. Who would‘ve thought that thing could not only come in handy for certain monsters, but for assholes with shitty morals too? Though, come to think of it, Billy still was a bully, but only to those he didn‘t like or who hurt the people he cared about. Was there actually any difference contrary to before? Maybe he just made things up to feel more important than he actually is.

Yet fortunately, Steve happened to be in the last category now even if Billy had a weird way of showing it. He still didn‘t know how he earned the title of someone who must be protected, but apparently he doesn‘t need protection from Billy himself.

„Call it talent. Something I‘m sure you never even heard the meaning of, hence your terrible dribbling at basketball.“

He flashed him a brief smirk before he lit his cigarette and blew a billow of smoke directly in Steves face, making him cough. Fanning the white smoke out of reach he settled to glower at him with narrowed eyes.

Son of a _bitch_.

To top that Billy flicked his cigarette against the collar of his jean jacket and roughly shoulders past him as he made his way to leave.

„_Shit_“, he managed to dodge the cigarette butt and furiously stomped it out with his boot before it could set the whole house on fire. „_What the fuck_ – Hargrove, you friggin' firebug! Come back here! I‘m not done talking yet!“, he yelled after him.

Billy simply flipped him off without turning his head once. Steve sprinted after him and caught him right before he could cross the threshold of the Byers house, poking his finger in his chest covered by a blue button-up.

„Hey, hey, hey. Wait a minute! What do you mean? Talent? It‘s not like you‘re a big talker after all.“

Billy studied him with a bored expression and once again succeeded to maneuver himself past him by roughly shoving him aside.

„Maybe that‘s your problem, Stevey-boy. You talk too much and don‘t look were you plant your _fucking_ feet.“

„Huh?“

Billy halted in his tracks, slowly turning around with a more than smug expression.

Steve had the dumbest look on his face he ever saw on him. And that meant something because Steve had perfected the art of having a whole range of idiotic expressions on hand. For example the Billy-is-the-worst look or Am-I-a-joke-to-you-I-actually-like-kids-unlike-you look.

His eyes looked like huge buttons plastered onto his face.

„Oh, finally. Did I render King Steve speechless? Good.“

He invaded his private space in the twinkling of an eye by walking him back into the wall of the porch, leaning in dangerously close. He placed his fist beside his face and Steve tried not to flinch as Billy let his bones crack right next to his ear.

„Now you listen, you stupid fuck. I hear another word out of your mouth and this time these kids get a real reason to bring you to a hospital. Got it?“

Steve swallowed as he felt Billys unpleasant breath reeking of smoke and alcohol waft over his face. Normally he didn‘t get intimidated easily, but he was always dumb enough to pick up a fight when he knew exactly that he wasn‘t in any position of power. That‘d introduced him to a lot of pain, plastered legs and, surprisingly enough, more self-esteem as he always came out on top in terms of experience.

Somebody has to stand up for him if nobody actually does.

But maybe it wasn‘t such a good idea after all to de-alienate Billy only to have some excuse for not hanging out 24/7 with a bunch of kids in an attempt to make him look like he has a life. Like his parents are home for once. Like someone else is there to fill the constant void in this big house. Like everything‘s just fine. Nobody ever asked him, really. He was just babysitter Steve with a desperate need to help.

Suicide-Steve in action.

„Uhm, do I have a say in this? Because I‘d like to remind you that those said kids don‘t react well to you beating me up if I remember correctly. Especially Max. Remember -- the nail bat?“, he paused and waited if that rang any bell. „You know what… I should probably go right now. You know, don‘t want to stress your ego too much and all.“

He threw him a strained smile and was in the motions of wiggling out from under his intimidating presence, but Billy slammed him right back into the wall with his impossibly infuriating way of using his well-muscled body to keep those weaker than him under control.

He might‘ve pissed himself if he hadn‘t remembered that he was an eighteen year old guy waiting for his life to begin.

Maybe he should grow himself a pair of balls. Sometime. In the future.

„God, Harrington. You talk like your life depends on it“, he sneered into his face.

Steve gaped at him.

„Duh. Maybe it does.“ _Right now with certainty, asshole._

„Yeah? Nice try. Try again harder next time. _Steve_.“

He gave him a brotherly clap on the shoulder and vanished into the night with his casual signature Billy Hargrove strut.

**Author's Note:**

> The plot bunnies in my head scuttled around like crazy and I had to do something about it. I hope it turned out well.
> 
> This doesn't follow any particular plot, I just go with it as it comes and I want Billy to have some bonding time with mostly Steve.
> 
> Kudos and feedback are always appreciated! Also, I don't give spelling/grammar/syntax/substance errors as presents and this is my first time writing something close to comedy/light banter in English though maybe it'll dive into more drama at some point. I'm experimenting, yay! *sprinkles confetti'


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